When the shadows remember
by ClearCrystals
Summary: Harry Potter died fighting. Nara Rei was born to fight. fem!Harry


**All on you out there, please don't kill me for not being active. I'll update my other stories soon!**

**This was a plot bunnies that popped up on me. What do you think? Reviews please!**

Shikaku stared down at the newborn girl in his arms. His second child, only four years after Shikamaru, was born less than five minutes ago. He stared down at his daughter who was cradled inside his arms, almost unbelieving of how life could be so delicate, yet so beautiful at the same time. Through his dazed, he acknowledged the fact that the pain of enduring childbirth by his wife's side hadn't improved; if anything, it was more painful than before. Last time he'd ended up with three broken fingers; this time he had four along with a cracked rib.

_But it was worth it_, he thought dreamily. He stared down at the fragile child cradled in his arms. The messy raven hair, and brilliant emerald eyes which stared up at him. And for a moment there, her eyes looked too old; filled with wisdom and knowledge, and the pain of a comrade's death. But Shikaku passed it off as a fragment of his imagination, his mind still frozen in shock at the birth of his second child.

He winced as he saw the angelic smile his wife was sending his way, her narrowed eyes promising hell for putting her through another difficult childbirth.

Shikaku's attention was diverted away from his wife as the doors opened, and his son, Shikamaru peeked in, his face as white as a sheet. Shikaku gestured to his four-year old son, who trotted in timidly, his laziness abandoned in the face of curiosity. He knelt down to his son's height, and presented his younger sister to him.

"Shikamaru, meet your younger sister, Nara Rei."

* * *

"NARA REI! GET BACK HERE!" An enraged voice called out to the young ravenette, who was running away from her mother's lectures on proper etiquette for a young lady.

Rei muttered underneath her breath, while dashing across the lake that separated part of the clan compound from the forests, in a show of excellent chakra control for a six-year old. She hated etiquette lessons, even though she never even paid attention to what was being said. Normally she would just endure it quietly, but she simply did not have the patience for it today. Her sleep had been plagued with dreams; dreams of an another life filled with magic and wonder.

She tried to replicate the wonders that her past self was able to do; but it seemed that what they called magic did not exist in the Elemental Countries.

"You'll never take me alive!" she called back to her mother, who stood glaring at her from the doorway. Others stopped by to watch, chuckling as they stared at Rei sprinting full speed across to lake. Before Yoshino could react, Rei dived through the openings in the forest edge, weaving through the tall trees. As soon as she spotted a flash of white through the moss-covered trees, she raced toward to it, dodging under the occasional tree bough and jumping over fallen logs.

Sheesh. She swore that her mother, Nara Yoshino, was the reincarnation of Molly Weasley; caring, strict, and scary enough to terrify enemy shinobi out of their wits. No wonder her father and brother both avoided her like the plague, being the lazy geniuses they were.

She had a full-blown smile on her face as she spotted the deer hoard. The Nara deer reminded her of Prongs, the majestic stag which was the animagus form of her father in her last life. The deer barely lifted their head from their grazing, already used to the antics of the young Nara.

Rei bulldozed through the herd, heading towards a pair of deer and their newborn fawn. She approached the trio from the front, where they could easily see her to show that she meant no harm. She settled down near their grazing area, tinkling laughter spilling from her as the fawn approached her curiously, nudging her and sniffing her hair. She patted the fawn's soft fur, as the young deer trotted around her in circles, her wet nose burrowing itself into her clothes.

She grinned happily, settling down for a nap in the middle of a hoard of deer, without a care in the world.

When Rei woke up, it was to something tickling her nose. She swatted at the offending object, groggily thinking it to be a blade of stray grass, until she bonked on something hard. Opening an eye groggily, she stared at a familiar ponytail of spiky black hair, connected to something else. It took her a moment to comprehend what, or more accurately, who was the source of her irritation.

A narrow tanned face, and a pineapple shaped hairstyle. Shikamaru, her older brother by four years, and easily among one of the laziest people alive, including the Nara clan. Rei sighed, he was easily among the most irritating people alive too. But she adored him, and she relished the feeling of a protective older sibling, something she'd never had a chance to have in her life as Harry Potter.

"Shika-niisan~" she breathed into his ear, propping herself up on an elbow. He didn't respond. She tried again. No effect. Her eyebrow twitched. She started poking at his head. Still no response. "I'll tell Ino who was the one that accidentally ruined her pictures of Sasuke." Rei had to lean backwards to avoid being slammed into by Shikamaru, who bolted upright.

Shikamaru had a panicked look on his usual sleepy looking face, and he turned to stare at his younger sister as she fell over laughing. "Troublesome." he muttered under his breath, shooting his sister a half-hearted glare beneath half-lidded eyes. He shook the grass off himself, before poking at a snickering Rei. "So did mother try to force you in a dress again? Or perhaps try to drill some semblance of manners into you?"

"Hey! I do have manners, and this is coming from the person who sleeps through guest visits and lectures." Rei pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. "For your information, it was proper etiquette this time," Rei commented dryly, shuddering at the times their mother has tried to dress her up. Yoshino had claimed that she needed to 'act her age', which apparently meant being dressed in fancy kimonos and yukatas like a china doll, all the while being the little girl who loved frilly and pink objects. Too bad the Naras were geniuses, so acting her age did not apply.

"Troublesome mothers." Shikamaru said, standing up slowly. He pulled Rei up, walking towards the direction of the compound. "Come on, mother would have cooled down by now, and your stomach is as noisy as Kiba and Naruto combined." He tugged on the long sleeve of Rin's kimono-like blouse, and she followed him limply.

Rei nodded, her face turning an adorable shade of red, at least according to everyone she'd met. "Shika-niisan", she started hesitantly, tugging on Shikamaru's sleeve. Never let it be said that she can't manipulate people as well as Dumbledore. "Do think I could join the academy with you?" She knew she was more than capable enough to join the academy; heck, she was sure she could beat most of the students there. Being a bookworm like Hermione had paid off, and being a Nara, she was able to analyze information at a much younger age than everyone else.

"I'm you can, but father will be too lazy to go through all the paperwork." he sighed, tugging his younger sister behind him. Shikamaru knew that his sister was above the norm, even among the Nara clan, which was filled with geniuses. She was the cream of the crop, and one of the prodigies that Konoha was so fond of. He would admit that she had an even better mind for strategies than father, sometimes like she almost had experience using them before.

He stared at the innocent little girl out of the corner of his eye. Soon all of that would change if she was to join the academy; to be trained to be a ruthless kunoichi who soon wouldn't even blink at killing. He would mourned for the loss of the innocence of the little girl who cuddled with the herds of deer, ran away from mother's lectures, and particular glowed whenever she was happy. But he knew it was her decision; and that she was strong enough to withstand everything thrown her way.

Rei beamed at Shikamaru. In her life as Harry, she couldn't protect the people close to her. In this life, she would have another chance. Another chance to protect the people precious to her, and she would no longer be the soft-hearted Harry, too kind to take the life of another person. Now she would be Nara Rei, the second daughter of Nara Shikaku and Yoshino, the younger sister of Nara Shikamaru, and a kunoichi of the leaf.

She would protect those close to her, or die trying.


End file.
